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#90 is like 90lbs and is 40kg 80' is 24.3m so for 70cm less you will not die or your kite will not behave wild LOLFor a UL #90 is OK and i will fly on a 65' lines if winds are a bit low.

As for brands, this is another story and it has been discussed thousands of times here..just read the old posts i don't know much about the Skyline brand but i use the Climax Protec orange sometimes. A nice line and very low stretch in it. It has a nice coating too which makes it really slippery.Besides this i am on LPG for the others and for my Revs.I think getting the Climax from the UK will be cheaper for you and it is a good line.

OH god this is a big can of worms. I'll shed what my little light can illuminate. First off if a line set says "Dyneema" dig deeper. Dyneema is a brand name for polyester dacron line but can also be used as a name for cheap spectra. MOst of your cheap kites come with the dacron Dyneema which is ok line but has a lot of stretch, binds easily and is really springy. IF anyone tells you Dyneema line is spectra don't readily belive it. However Dyneema line is being replaced by Excel brand spectra which is actually good line but it is still being called Dyneema for some reason. PRobably just too many info cards left over and manufacturers don't want to just throw them out.

Shanti, Laser pro, CLimax, PRism line (laserpro or excel depending on kite model) is all spectra which is a superior fiber to polyester dacron. THe difference between the grade of lines these makers offer is largely in the braid and coatings. The higher the quality the better and tighter the braid and sometimes the better the coating. THe fiber is the same but the better the braid the better the line. SInce spectra doesn't actually stretch unless heated it does whats known as "creep". As you fly a cheap spectra line set the braid tightens on itself and the slack taken up will add length to a line giving a perceived stretch.

The advantage to dacron is that it does stretch making it more resiliant than spectra and has better abbrasion resisteance, but the downside is you loose input response time from your hand to the kite. THink of a bungie cord tied to a weight. YOu have to stretch the bungie a certain amount before you can move that weight. Dacron line does the same thing on a smaller scale. Spectra on the other hand does not stretch which give great response time, but the downside is when you reach its limit it breaks, dacron comparatively just stretches and becomes weaker until it breaks so it is a more durable line. THis is why a lot of power kite line is a blend. Spectra for low stretch, dacron for durability.

As for line length that is pure preference or necessity based on flying space. I prefer 125 feet but I have the room for it and I do fly my UL's and SUL's on 125's just on lighter weights.

THe reason for the weight is not only for breaking strength but line diameter. THinner line has less wind drag which transfers more wind power to the kite. LIne length has a similar effect but at a bit lesser degree. Compare it to standing face into the wind vs. the wind at your side and the difference in feel of the wind pushing against you. so the preference is to go with the lightest line you can use without it breaking in the wind conditions your flying in. 90-100# is a good all around weight. There is a point where weight based on length due to the amount of line negates the drag savings from the diameter but unless you get to 200 foot or longer or over 175# thats not really a concern.

IIRC skyline was a Climax product as well but Someone from over the pond can better confirm that.

Depending on the price, precut on winders or spools, i will suggest you buy one and give it a try...if it's not so expensive compared to the one you will order + shipping..then go for it..Sport kiting is a one time investment and you don't have to buy weather, wind, spaces, etc...but from time to time some accessories and spare parts need their piece of the purse

8-15 mph ( 12-25kph) with standards - 25m x 90lb ( 40kg/DaN) - this is the one I use 90% of the time

15 - 25 mph (25-40kph) with my vented - 30m x 150lb (70kg/DaN)

Over 25mph -(40kph +) with the Delta Hawk - 35m X 220lb ( 110kg/DaN)

I prefer coated dyneema lines, and of the lines I've tried I like Climax ProTec or Professional best - thin, strong, doesn't stretch, very slippery - 20-30 twists without binding and it's fairly cheap for a premium line. It lasts well too, my oldest set is 3 years old but still in good condition. I've tried Shanti and wasn't impressed, it seemed to bind up quickly but it was a very new set and may have needed flying in for a while.

You can get a set of pre measured, sleeved Climax lines on a winder for around £20 here in the UK - if you need contact details I can PM you a couple of UK sites that can supply.

OH god this is a big can of worms. I'll shed what my little light can illuminate. First off if a line set says "Dyneema" dig deeper. Dyneema is a brand name for polyester dacron line but can also be used as a name for cheap spectra. MOst of your cheap kites come with the dacron Dyneema which is ok line but has a lot of stretch, binds easily and is really springy. IF anyone tells you Dyneema line is spectra don't readily belive it. However Dyneema line is being replaced by Excel brand spectra which is actually good line but it is still being called Dyneema for some reason. PRobably just too many info cards left over and manufacturers don't want to just throw them out.

CA is correct, even though Dyneema and Spectra are made from the same base materials, how those materials are combined with other materials will effect the line's overall quality.

This is like saying a child's bicycle tire is the exact same thing as a high performance steel belted radial tire because they both use the same base material (rubber).

How the HDMP fibers are made and then woven or even mixed with other materials is what makes one line a high performance sport kite line and another a high stretching fishing line and yet another a very cheap inexpensive stretchy junk kite line.

Spectra is a trademarked name owned by the Honneywell corp. Dyneema is Asia's attempt at copying or producing the same type of fibers without the copyright issues. Even though the two lines use the same core materials, they are both produced differently and braided differently. How these lines are made will determine the quality. Some spectra based line may not be as good as some Dyneema based line....and there are some Dyneema lines that can't hold a candle against high quality Spectra line. It all depends on who and how the lines are being produced.

High quality Spectra kite line generally has less overall stretch than high quality Dyneema line. This is caused by the size of the individual fibers that are used to make up each of the lines. In general, Spectra line is a little bit better than Dyneema...again this is in general.

I could purchase a bunch of Spectra fibers, hand braid them into a clump of line but it would never be near the quality of Shanti or LPG even though they are both using the "Same base materials".

Thread on the sleeving ( lets say Red) and tie a loop as my other post.

put a stake through the loop into the ground and measure out the length you want - 25m? - plus a few cm more and cut the line.

Tie another loop with your other sleeving colour ( probably black) making sure the loop is the same size as the other. hook it around the stake and measure out the same length as the other line.

Take the 'red' line and thread the other red sleeve on the other end and tie a loop ( make sure you the same colour sleeving on both ends of the same line - sounds obvious but I've got it wrong before!)

Thread the other black sleeving on the other end of the 'black' line -try and get the lines the same length.

loop one of the lines around each of your index fingers and give them a good pull, now compare the lengths and adjust one of the loops until both lines are the same length when under slight tension.

Wind the lines onto your winder and the job is done !

remember to check your new lines again after a couple of flights as the may well need adjusting again when all the knots have settled.

Line Equalisers - you can make your own:

Stake one end of your lines down and loop the other ends on each of the hooks, take up the slack and it should sit in the middle if it is off center you need to adjust your lines.

Some line winders have one built in:

Hook a loop around each of the indents at the top of the winder and put you finger through the hole in the middle and pull.

Most of the time using your index fingers gets you pretty close.

Check this tutorial out at about 1 minute and you'll see what I mean - this is for quad lines but the principle is the same.

I equalize by holding the two lines (after stretching them) together under light tension and sighting along them to the fixed end. I pull on one line or the other just a little bit until they both dip the same amount in the middle. I then clamp the lines together a foot or so from the end and make the end loops, relying on the idea that if the loops were the same length before tying knots, they will also be the same length after tying knots (this may not work as well if you sleeve your lines -- I don't).

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